Entrepreneurial Healthcare IT Companies

Showcasing Entrepreneurial Healthcare IT Companies

This networking event, organized by Propel Careers and MassDevice is designed to profile entrepreneurial Healthcare IT companies located in New England. This event will coincide with BREW (Boston Regional Entrepreneurship Week) and is designed to bring together industry professionals, post doctoral fellows, recent graduates, and current students to be exposed to the many exciting initiatives that Healthcare IT firms in the area are working on and to build relationships in the field. During the event, a presentation on emerging healthcare IT trends will be given and each company attending will have the opportunity to do a 2 minute elevator pitch to the audience to highlight their company as well as the research, products, or services they are developing and/or selling. This will provide the audience insight into these exciting companies.

Wednesday October 20th 2010
Location: Microsoft NERD, 1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02142
Time: 6-9pm
For more information and to register, click here.

Accelerating the Adoption of EHR Virtual Seminar

Successful EHR adoption must be built on the right technology (storage, server, and mobile platforms) that ensure you meet meaningful use requirements. But time is running out to implement the technology infrastructure that will be needed.

Attend the "Accelerating the Adoption of EHR" Virtual Seminar that's coming up on Sept 14.  Learn how to:

• Select EHR technology that will get you to meaningful use
• Rationalize and unify multiple EHR systems
• Optimize the performance and scalability of your infrastructure
• Improve EHR system accessibility with the latest Web portal technologies
• Meet capacity and bandwidth requirements for PACs integration
• Identify the pros and cons of vendor vs. open-source mobile apps

Click here for more information.

What is a virtual seminar? You’ll enter a vibrant interface – along with several hundred of your peers – and experience expert informational sessions, peer interaction and the sharing of technology solution insights. You'll attend sessions with our HIT experts, you'll visit vendor booths with product demo information and live reps to answer your questions, you'll download background information on best practices for implementing EHR, and you'll interact with your peers. We've held many virtual seminars with rave reviews on both the content received and the easy-to-navigate online experience.

AMA webinar: Making health IT work for you: learn how the federal incentive programs apply to your practice

You won't want to miss this AMA webinar titled, " Making health IT work for you: learn how the federal incentive programs apply to your practice ."

Mon, Aug 16, 2010
Time: 05:00 PM EDT

Join the American Medical Association (AMA) for its first in a series of webinars designed to help you make Health IT work for your practice.

The 90-minute live webinar will review the final regulations, incentive program criteria and what steps to take so you can attest to meaningful use of certified EHR technology. At the end of the webinar, you will know how to:

• Calculate incentive dollars
• Describe the significance of EHR certification
• Interpret the criteria and measures that meet Stage 1 meaningful use requirements
• Describe the requirements that relate to earning incentives for meaningful use of certified EHR technology

A live question and answer session will follow the presentation.


Click here for more information.

November 2010 HIMSS Virtual Conference Call for Proposal Now Open

November 2010 HIMSS Virtual Conference Call for Proposal Now Open

You are invited to share your expertise at the HIMSS Virtual Conference & Expo
To be held November 3-4, 2010

The HIMSS Virtual Conference & Expo is a fully interactive event that incorporates online learning, live chat, active movement in and out of exhibit booths and sessions, vendor presentations, contests and more.

Improving Health and Healthcare Through Meaningful Use of Health IT

The November 2010 HIMSS Virtual Conference & Expo will focus on the many aspects and opportunities for achieving meaningful use in different care settings, including community hospitals and clinical practices. Additionally, through two tracks, the educational program will highlight the innovative approaches, strategies, actions and awareness needed to transform healthcare.

Track 1: Health Information Exchanges: Facilitating the Adoption of HIT
This track will focus on aspects of the many challenges and opportunities HIEs face in operationalizing an exchange, and providers face in connecting with one or more HIEs.

Track 2: The Fundamentals of Achieving Meaningful Use: Real World Approaches
This track will focus on the tactics organizations and eligible providers are executing to comply with MU requirements. 

Share your expertise and experience! This is a great opportunity to gain industry recognition for providing proven, best practices in the era of healthcare reform!

For more information on the Call for Proposals, visit www.himssvirtual.org

Bizmatics Inc. Announces CCHIT Certified® 2011 Ambulatory EHR

This came out yesterday on BusinessWire. PrognoCIS by Bizmatics is another great option for physicians across all specialties who are looking for an EHR solution that includes billing services and a patient portal. Here's a snippet from the press release:

Bizmatics Inc. Announces CCHIT Certified® 2011 Ambulatory EHR Conditional Pre-market Certification for PrognoCIS EMR

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bizmatics is pleased to announce that on 15^th June, our flagship EMR product PrognoCIS V 2.0 is a pre-market, conditionally CCHIT Certified® 2011 Ambulatory EHR. PrognoCIS has earned a 5 Star usability rating upon completion and successful certification for CCHIT Certified 2011. Bizmatics CEO Mr. Vinay Deshpande was quoted as saying, “PrognoCIS has been a strong, stable EMR for many years, and we believe this CCHIT certification helps poise Bizmatics for the HealthCare IT future we all see coming.”

“PrognoCIS has been a strong, stable EMR for many years, and we believe this CCHIT certification helps poise Bizmatics for the HealthCare IT future we all see coming.”

Earlier this year PrognoCIS was awarded a Surescript certification for medication history, formulary checking and eligibility in addition to e-prescription. PrognoCIS has earned a reputation of successful completion of each industry required Milestone.

Read the full press release here.

Leading Consumer, Business Experts Laud Two Key Federal Agencies for Hitting the Right Note on Meaningful Use of Health Information Technology (HIT)

Leading Consumer, Business Experts Laud Two Key Federal Agencies for Hitting the Right Note on Meaningful Use of Health Information Technology (HIT)

First Consumer, Business Reaction to Draft Regulations Applauds Agencies for Setting Achievable and Sensible Goals

Washington, DC – January 14, 2010 – Two leading experts are applauding the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) for setting the bar at the right level to effectively spur  the “meaningful use” of HIT in the recently published draft rule.  It defines “meaningful use” of HIT, and establishes an appropriate set of measures that are achievable by a broad array of health care practitioners.  It has the potential to greatly improve health care quality, according to Christine Bechtel, Vice President of the National Partnership for Women & Families and David Lansky, President and CEO of the Pacific Business Group on Health.  This is the right medicine for consumers, patients, providers and payers, they say.

“As a consumer representative on the HIT Policy Committee, I applaud CMS and ONC for putting us on the right track,” said Bechtel. “At the end of the day, we must make sure consumers and patients are seeing real benefits from these new technologies.  The draft rule is strategic, pragmatic and designed to make sure patients and families are engaged in making sure these investments benefit them.  We look forward to working with CMS and ONC to build on and improve this draft.”

ARRA, Healthcare Reform, and National Health IT Week

I attended a HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) webinar today titled, "A Mix of all the Right Ingredients: ARRA, Healthcare Reform, National Health IT Week and YOU!"

The webinar provided an overview of National Health IT Week 2009 and the HIMSS 8th Annual Policy Summit. The presenter was State Sen. Richard Moore from Massachusetts, who serves as Vice President of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Senator Moore (D-MA) is poised to lead this important association’s 7,328 state legislators and legislative staff in the next two years. Sen. Moore discussed his perspective on the current health IT policy landscape.

Here were some of the key points from Sen. Moore:

• We must consider the impact of health IT on healthcare costs
• Look at examples of quality improvement
  
• By 2015 - every physician (or every prescriber) must have competency in using health IT resources
• Simplification and administrative streamlining

Julia Zarb, PhD (Zarb Consulting) jumped in to provide some information about National Health IT Week.

• This is the fourth year of National Health IT Week
• The event will be September 21-25 in Washington D.C.
• Find out more here: http://www.healthitweek.org

HIMSS 8th Annual Policy Summit

• September 22-23, 2009
• Washington D.C.

Fred Hannett spoke about the HIMSS "Asks" Task Force.

• The "Asks" Task Force has a funny name and you may see some funny faces if people don't hear the "k" as you're saying "Asks"
  
• The goal is to develop 3 "Asks" (key message points) for Capitol Hill that will impact health IT policy
  

Harry Greenspun, MD (@HarryGreenspun) delivered the closing comments.

• $50 to attend the Policy Summit
• How can organizations receive financial assistance?
• Stipends will be available (count me in!)

So, do you plan to be in Washington in September? It's too bad it's not a Health IT weekend. That makes it a bit difficult for us in the working world, doesn't it?

Free Webinar on National Health IT Week and HIMSS Policy Summit

There's a free HIMSS webinar titled, "A Mix of all the Right Ingredients: ARRA, Healthcare Reform, National Health IT Week and YOU!"

Want to know what it's about? Here's a summary:

Don’t miss HIMSS’ complimentary webinar on National Health IT Week and the Policy Summit at 12 pm (EDT), Friday, July 31. The webinar will provide an overview of National Health IT Week 2009 and the HIMSS 8th Annual Policy Summit. Joining the Webinar will be State Sen. Richard Moore from Massachusetts, who serves as Vice President of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Sen. Moore is poised to lead this important association’s 7,328 state legislators and legislative staff in the next two years. Sen. Moore will discuss his perspective on the current health IT policy landscape and share with you some pointers for meetings with elected officials.

If you're interested in health IT, then you should definitely attend this free session. So much is happening in this nation that's related to health IT and heathcare reform. Don't miss out! Register here: http://tinyurl.com/nhba26

Health IT "Meaningful Use" Defined?

The phrase "meaningful use" is a critical part of the health IT or HITECH provisions within ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) health IT policy committee voted last week and approved the proposed meaning of "meaningful use." Based on the HITECH provisions, Medicare reimbursement incentives for physicians will begin as early as 2011 and penalties for those not engaging in the "meaningful use" of electronic health records or EHRs will start in 2017.

Now, the recommendations will need to be approved by David Blumenthal, MD, National Coordinator for Health IT before they go to CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services).

So have we fully defined the phrase "meaningful use"? How many physicians will be using EHRs by 2017? If you think about it, 2011 really isn't that far away. I'd like to think that by 2017, most physician offices will be utilizing EHRs, but I also remember thinking that 10 years ago when I thought that health IT uptake was going to soar. Now that we have a major carrot and stick, we should see significant change over the next several years. Let's wait and see.

Stimulus 103: Real World Perspectives

If you missed the AMA webinar titled, "Stimulus 103: Real World Perspectives," then you may be glad to know that you can view the archived session here: www.ama-assn.org/go/hit and then look under "Health IT webinars." Or, you can click on this direct link: https://cc.readytalk.com/play?id=8qo7xu

This is the 3rd part to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) webinar series by the AMA. The presenters include:

• Amanda Ervin, Director of Health Information Technology Initiatives, AMA
• Gary S. Schenk, Sr., MD, Gaston Family Care, Gastonia, NC

The agenda includes the following topics:

• Update on meaningful use
• Small practice perception of meaningful use as it pertains to utilization of an EHR

Seems like we're getting closer to really understanding and defining "meaningful use." The Health IT Policy Committee's "meaningful use" work group will meet today in Washington to submit revised recommendations to Dr. David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. The next HIT policy committee meeting is scheduled for August 14.

Nursing Informatics at the Point of Care: A Barrier or a Bridge?

If you're interested in this topic, then perhaps you'll want to attend SINI 2009. This is the theme this year for the Summer Institute in Nursing Informatics. Informatics at the Point of Care: A Barrier or a Bridge?

SINI 2009 is July 22-25 at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. Can't get to Baltimore? Then you can still participate in the plenary presentations and concurrent sessions by registering for the Web-streamed program. Web participants receive all the conference materials and can participate in discussions via email.

Featured speakers this year include:

* Keynote – James J. Cimino, MD, National Institutes of Health
* Paul Tang, MD, Palo Alto Medical Foundation
* Marcelline Harris, PhD, RN, Mayo Clinic
* Nancy Staggers, PhD, RN, University of Utah
* End Note – Suzanne Bakken, DNSc, RN, Columbia University

Wish to learn more? Then visit: http://nursing.umaryland.edu/sini

Live Webinar Tomorrow: The Great HIT Debate

Tomorrow (Tuesday, July 14, 2009) from 12:30-2:00PM (EST), HCPLive.com blogger and author of the MDNG column "HIT Realist" Alberto Borges, MD, will debate Joseph Kvedar, MD, director of the Center for Connected Health. Topics up for discussion include the HITECH Act incentives and their likely effect on health IT adoption, the problem of "usability" and where it fits in with the push for "certified EHRs," the use of health IT to improve quality and patient safety, and more.

There will be a Q&A session after the debate when registered attendees can ask questions.

Register today at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/646034233

Alberto Borges, MD
Dr. Borges is the author of the "HIT Realist" column, which appears monthly in MDNG, as well as an accompanying blog on HCPLive.com. He is also an active blogger and participant in many online discussions on the careful and cautious implementation of health IT. In addition, Dr. Borges is a private practitioner in the Washington, DC area and an assistant clinical professor of medicine at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, DC.

Joseph Kvedar, MD
Dr. Kvedar is the Founder and Director of the Center for Connected Health, a division of Partners Healthcare that is applying communications technology and online resources to increase access and improve the delivery of quality medical services and patient care outside of the traditional medical setting. The term "connected health" reflects the range of opportunities for technology-enabled care programs and the potential for new strategies in healthcare delivery. Dr. Kvedar is internationally recognized for his leadership and vision in the field of connected health and the application of communications technologies to improve healthcare for patients. Dr. Kvedar is co-editor of the book, Home Telehealth: Connecting Care within the Community, the first book to report on the application of technology to deliver quality healthcare in the home.

Health IT will be central to the practice of medicine

If you're a healthcare professional, what type of role does health information technology (Health IT, HIT, or HITECH) play in your practice? Do you use an electronic health record (EHR)? Do you have computers in your office/hospital (if you can't imagine not having computers everywhere, try visiting some remote health clinics in Montana and Wyoming). You may have a very old computer and if you're not connected to the Internet, then it really may be a worthless paperweight. I don't know how you'd be reading this if that were the case.

Anyways, with all this talk about healthcare reform, we now see people like Dr. David Blumenthal really pushing for health IT. At the HIT Symposium at MIT, Dr. Blumenthal gave an opening keynote where he shared how health IT will transform healthcare in the U.S. Given that somewhere between $31 billion and $46 billion will be channeled towards health IT, this is a huge amount that will result in more than simple incremental changes. Physicians will be expected to use health IT resources heavily. They must demonstrate meaningful use, otherwise they will not see the incentives that are outlined within the HITECH (health IT) provisions outlined within ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act).

So, should health IT play a more integral role during medical training?

Understanding the Medicare e-Prescribing Incentive Program

Do you understand the Medicare e-Prescribing Incentive Program? Don't get this confused with the incentives outlined in ARRA about HITECH. Sorry, let me clarify: The Medicare e-Prescribing Incentive Program is not the same as the recent incentives outlined in the Health Information Technology (HITECH) provisions within the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The Medicare e-Prescribing Incentive Program began January 1, 2009 and provides incentives for eligible healthcare professionals who are "successful e-prescribers". We'll define that later. Section 132 of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA) authorizes a new and separate incentive program for eligible professionals who are successful electronic prescribers (e-Prescribers) as defined by MIPPA. For 2009, e-prescribing incentive amounts will be 2% of the total estimated allowed charges for professional services covered by Medicare Part B and furnished by an eligible professional during the reporting period (one calendar year). 2% may not seem like much, but it can add up quickly.

Previously, there used to be an e-prescribing quality measure that was included in the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI). Now, e-prescribing is no longer included in PQRI and it is the quality measure used in the E-prescribing Incentive Program.

One question that often gets asked about the Medicare e-Prescribing Incentive Program is this: "What defines a "qualified' e-prescribing system?" If you're using an EHR that has some type of e-prescribing capability, are you using a "qualified" e-prescribing system?

According to Medicare, there are two types of e-prescribing systems:

• 1) a system for e-prescribing only (a “stand-alone” system), or
• 2) an electronic health record (EHR) system with e-prescribing functionality.

Either of these systems may be used for the incentive program, as long as they are “qualified.” Let's talk about that word now. A qualified system must be able to do the following:

1. Generate a complete medication list that incorporates data from pharmacies and benefit managers (if available)
2. Select medications, transmit prescriptions electronically using the applicable standards, and warn the prescriber of possible undesirable or unsafe situations
   
3. Provide information on lower-cost, therapeutically-appropriate alternatives (for 2009, tiered formulary information, if available, meets this requirement)
   
4. Provide information on formulary or tiered formulary medications, patient eligibility, and authorization requirements received electronically from the patient’s drug plan

So, are you using a "qualified" e-prescribing system? If you're not, then you're missing out on some Medicare incentives.

Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel

Have you heard of the Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP)?

Let me share a snippet from their "about us" section of their website: "The mission of the Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel is to serve as a cooperative partnership between the public and private sectors for the purpose of achieving a widely accepted and useful set of standards specifically to enable and support widespread interoperability among healthcare software applications, as they will interact in a local, regional and national health information network for the United States... The Panel's work is driven by a series of priorities (i.e., Use Cases) issued by the American Health Information Community (AHIC). HITSP produces recommendations and reports in Interoperability Specifications and related Constructs. These work products are intended to be equally applicable to the developing Nationwide Health Information Network for the United States (NHIN) and also to community and regional health information exchange networks."

OK, if that didn't impress you, then maybe this will: "HITSP is a strategic partnership established through a contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services."

On July 9, The Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) is identifying the standards that will support the exchange of healthcare information across the United States. Titled, "Health Information Exchange (HIEs) in the Real World," this webinar will cover how HITSP products are being used today by the New England Healthcare EDI Network (NEHEN), Keystone Health Information Exchange (KeyHIE), and Vermont Information Technology Leaders, Inc. (VITL). Interested in this free webinar? Click here for more information.

The HITSP is administered by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in cooperation with strategic partners including the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), the Advanced Technology Institute (ATI), and Booz Allen Hamilton.

Advice for physicians interested in a health IT career

Many physicians have asked me for advice regarding careers in health IT (information technology), so I decided to compile a short article titled, 10 tips for physicians interested in a health IT career

Defining "Meaningful Use" Begins Today

We've all been waiting for today. Today (June 16), those in the health information technology (Health IT, HIT, or HITECH) industry began getting glimpses of the definition of "meaningful use" from government leaders. If physicians use an electronic health record (EHR), they must use it in a meaningful way if they are to reap the benefits and avoid the punishments stated in the ARRA. Who gets to decide if you're using an EHR in a meaningful way? The government.

Today is just the beginning of a long conversation, according to Dr. David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Today, the HIT Policy Committee met and highlighted some of the essential components that outlines this mysterious phrase, "meaningful use." We won't see physicians meaningfully using an EHR overnight. This will happen in three stages (although many things will also be happening simultaneously):

1. Data capture and sharing by 2011
   
2. Advanced clinical processes by 2013
   
3. Improved outcomes by 2015

Here are some key points of data capture and sharing:

• Physicians must actually document outpatient progress notes using an EHR (so can you still dictate your note and have it manually transcribed into the EHR?)
  
• They must use computerized physician order entry (CPOE) for all order types, including e-prescribing
• They must improve care coordination (that's a bit nebulous if you ask me, but I'm sure they will eventually iron out the critiera for this)
• Submit electronic data to registries and other databases to improve public health and assist with disease surveillance
  
• Comply with HIPAA Rules and state laws (isn't this obvious?)

So, this is just the beginning of a long conversation. Any surprises here, or have we simply stated the obvious?

Waiting for June 16: Defining Meaningful Use

Everyone in the health IT world is waiting for June 16. That's when the government will define the phrase "meaningful use" that's described in ARRA. Mark your calendars and get ready to see how the Health IT Policy Committee defines this mystical phrase that will determine whether physicians will be penalized or incentivized by their use of electronic health records (EHRs).

AMA on Health IT

Did you catch the AMA webinar today on health IT? It was titled, "Stimulus 102: Update on the Health Information Technology Provisions."

If you missed it, then they will be posting a link to the archived version (and I'll post that link as soon as I get it). The webinar covered updates on the framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide HIT infrastructure. If you wish to gain a better understanding of the HIT provisions in ARRA, then you'll want to catch this webinar. The presenters were:

• Russ Keene, Vice President, Ingenix CareTracker
• Amanda Ervin, Director, Health Information Technology Initiatives

Should I Go to the Health IT (HIT) Symposium at MIT?

I've been debating this in my mind for a few weeks now. The health IT (HIT) Symposium at MIT is June 29 - July 2 at MIT. I realize that I could participate via the online option, but I'd really like to network with the people who will be up there. In fact, I'd like to cover the meeting as a blogger and post images and videos. However, I'm debating whether I should go up there for a week away from my family. If my family could go up with me, then I'd be there in a heartbeat.